First three batters (Grisham, Judge, Rice) homer as Yankees make history in rout of Orioles

BALTIMORE — The Yankees had a first inning for the ages in their second game of the season March 29, taking a former teammate, Nestor Cortes, deep on three straight pitches to start the game.

It was the first time since the sport began tracking pitch counts in 1988 that a team homered on its first three pitches.

The Yankees came remarkably close toward duplicating the feat Tuesday night in a 15-3 win over the Orioles.

They needed just five pitches from shellshocked Orioles righthander Kyle Gibson to hit back-to-back-to-back home runs, with Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice doing the honors.

The Yankees became the first team to hit three homers to start a game twice in the same season.

“It definitely crosses your mind [when] the first two guys hit a homer,” Rice said with a smile of thinking home run. “That being said, you just have to stick to you approach.”

Gibson, who likely wished his season debut came against some team other than the Yankees (18-12) who have bludgeoned him throughout his career, gave up four homers in what was a five-run first, with No. 5 hitter Cody Bellinger also driving one out. Cleanup hitter Paul Goldschmidt had grounded out.

Regardless, the Bellinger blast made it the second time this season the Yankees hit four home runs in the first inning. The first time that occurred in the 123-year history of the franchise was in that March 29 game, when the Yankees hit a franchise-record nine homers.

They didn’t approach that mark Tuesday, “settling” for six. They outhit the Orioles 19-3. The last of those was a home run by Austin Wells, the only Yankees starter to that point without a hit, with two outs in the ninth to make it 15-2.

“What a performance,” Aaron Boone said. “I thought [March 29] three homers, three pitches, I hadn’t seen that. To see four in five [four homers in five batters], just a great job by everyone.”

Rice homered in his second at-bat, giving him eight home runs, tied for second most on the team with Grisham. Judge has nine.

“It’s easy when the boys put up five runs in the first,” said Carlos Rodon, who took a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing a walk and a hit in the sixth. He gave up two runs, two hits and a walk over six innings in which he struck out seven, improving to 4-3 with a 3.43 ERA. “You’re just going to pour in [strikes] and get outs as quick we can and get the boys back in the dugout so they can score some more runs.”

They continued to do that, scoring three in both the fourth and fifth innings, and solo runs in innings 7-9. Rice had three hits and two RBIs, Bellinger had two hits and three RBIs and Goldschmidt and Oswald Peraza each had two hits and two RBIs.

There was a considerable down note to the Yankees’ big first inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled to right after the Bellinger homer, but he immediately came out of the game after sliding headfirst into third (Chisholm advanced to third on his double on an error by rightfielder Ramon Laureano).

Chisholm said afterward he felt something in his right oblique and he will be sent to New York for testing.

Chisholm, however, said he is not worried.

“I’m really not as concerned as everybody else. I feel pretty good,” he said. “I tore my oblique before [in 2023], so I know it’s not torn or anything . . . I’d rather take two or three days off than six weeks. I think it was a smart idea [to come out].”

DJ setback?

Aaron Boone didn’t call it a setback for DJ LeMahieu, who started the season on the IL with a left calf strain, but the manager said before Tuesday night’s game the veteran infielder’s rehab assignment is in a brief timeout after he received a cortisone shot earlier in the day on his hip.

Boone said he expects LeMahieu, who has suffered a series of injuries since 2021, to resume his rehab assignment “Thursday or Friday,” but given the 36-year-old’s recent injury history, nothing at this point can be assumed.

Boone said LeMahieu, who went 6-for-10 in four rehab games late last week with Double-A Somerset and was slated to join Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, chose to get the shot as a way of being “proactive” with a condition he has dealt with before.

“My sense is it was pretty minor,” Boone said. “I think he just wants to make sure he gives himself the best runway to be successful.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.